Got a bold short doc idea? Pitch it. Win it. Make it happen.
Three winning filmmakers will receive over $20,000 in cash and in-kind support — from production services to post — to bring their short documentary projects to life.
Do you have a compelling documentary idea ready to take flight? Here’s your chance to bring it to life! Five filmmakers will pitch their projects live at the 2025 Lunenburg Doc Fest, and the top three will walk away with the following prize packages:
• First place: $3,000 in cash plus in-kind filmmaking services
• Second place: $2,000 in cash plus in-kind filmmaking services
• Third place: $1,000 in cash plus in-kind filmmaking services
Finalists will also get exclusive access to pitch workshops and a full pass to the 12th Lunenburg Doc Fest. That means entry to the Dock Market industry market — the perfect place to meet peers, industry pros, and key decision-makers for one-on-one conversations.
Last year’s winner, Kate Solar, will premiere her film at this year’s live pitch event. And the 2025 first-place winner? They’ll get the exciting opportunity to screen their completed film at the 13th Lunenburg Doc Fest in 2026.
The Launch kicks off with two essential workshops — “Pitching 101” and “Pitch Consultations” — to help you polish your pitch before the live contest on Saturday, September 20th.
Don’t worry if you’re not a professional media creator — if you have a passion for documentary storytelling and some experience or interest in making documentaries, we want to hear from you!
This initiative is proudly supported by the Canada Media Fund, CBC, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. Huge thanks to our in-kind supporters: Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative (AFCOOP), Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT), Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, Star Power Atlantic, and 902 Post Inc.
We encourage all folks from Atlantic Canada who identify as underrepresented to participate. Accommodation assistance in Lunenburg may be available.
The deadline to apply is August 4, 2025, at 11:59 PM AT. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-August.
It is free to participate and apply for The Launch 2025. Applications are now closed.
meet our 2025 finalists
PARTICIPATING MENTORS
Ariel Nasr
Ariel Nasr is a writer/director and producer whose films include Hot Docs audience award-winner, The Forbidden Reel (2019) and Canadian Screen Award-winner The Boxing Girls of Kabul (2011). Other directing work includes Good Morning Kandahar (2009), and La Mosquée (2018). As an independent producer, Ariel was nominated for a 2013 Oscar for half-hour fiction, Buzkashi Boys, shot entirely in Afghanistan. As a producer at the National Film Board of Canada (2020-2024), Ariel produced and co-produced award-winning documentaries, including Perfecting the Art of Longing and Stolen Time. A citizen of Canada, Afghanistan and the USA, Ariel was the recipient of the 2024 TIFF CBC-Films Screenwriter Award for his screenplay, Daudistan.
John Seongho Choi
John Seongho Choi is an award-winning Canadian Korean filmmaker with over 25 years of experience as a filmmaker. His work has been featured on major platforms such as Netflix Originals, Prime, YouTube Originals, CBC, NHK Japan, SBS Australia, and more. Throughout his career, John has worked on a wide range of projects, from independent films to Hollywood studio productions, commercials, and music videos. He is passionate about filmmaking and brings a unique, authentic, and meaningful perspective to every project. John's directorial accomplishments were recognized with the 2024 Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction - Documentary Series for Dark Side of Comedy. His other recent projects include the A&E series The Eleven, CBC Docs POV Spaceman, and feature documentaries Lost & Found, K-Pop Evolution, and the Netflix Original series The Raincoat Killer.
